Meaning
Brilliant beauty
Linguistic Origin
Arabic
Islamic Classification
Regional Usage
Global Spellings
Pronounced as Zulekha, it has a rhythmic flow that makes it memorable and distinct. It is an excellent choice for a modern Muslim family honoring tradition.
Zulekha, like the alternate spelling Zulaikha, is the traditional name given by Islamic commentary literature to the wife of "the Aziz" in the story of Yusuf, narrated in the Quran (12:23-34) without naming her directly.
Reference Profile
Etymology
The name traditionally given in Islamic and Near Eastern literary tradition to the wife of the Egyptian official who attempted to seduce the Prophet Yusuf - unnamed in the Quranic text itself, the name Zulaykha comes from later tradition and the celebrated Persian romance 'Yusuf and Zulaikha.'
Islamic Significance
Zulaykha is the name tradition gives the wife of the Egyptian official in the story of the Prophet Yusuf; she is not named in the Quran itself.
Quranic Connection
Her story appears in Surah 12, which recounts the episode of the household of the Aziz (beginning at 12:23) without naming her.
Notable Historical Usage
The romance Yusuf and Zulaykha became one of the great themes of Persian and Ottoman poetry, most famously in Jami's fifteenth-century retelling.
Cultural / Regional Usage
Widely used across the Muslim world, particularly as a girl's name.